Tyre info please

[dfh]

This is one area I found the michelins did let me down due to the wall construction,hard, heavy trail braking into the corner tended to want to stand the bike up and I then realised why the michelin pilot pures I currently run need to run a slightly higher pressure than the original pilot powers I had used for a number of years.
The Dunlops I ran on trackdays have a lot stiffer carcass and sidewall so lower pressures can be run to gain the best contact patch.
But then again Pirelli and conti tyres run a different profile and construction again so it all comes down to personal preference but 95% of riders only utilise 80% of the potential in their tyres.
Just need to have a little faith as they all give pretty good feedback if your suspension is tuned well.

100% agree. Suspension well tuned, I'm one of those pea under the mattress types. Rarely use more than 80% of the front tyres absolute grip potential, but steering feel & response is something that is always in play. Your comments jibe well with my experience of Michelins & Dunlops. Its interesting that often families of tyres have the same nature even with different grip potentials. Personally never got on with Dunlops preference for quick steering"triangular" fronts on the road, but as a track tyre where turn in points are consistent, positive & quick their drop in fast nature works. I think that with its relatively narrow rear the TRX works better with progressive steering tyres, having a good thrash on my friends Falco up the Gwyder the biggest thing I noticed ( apart from the TRX munching motor!) was how much slower it rolled around its wider rear rim & tyre on turn in than my TRX. Would look at Dunlops if it were my bike.

[Mikerhayward]

Thanks for the comments chaps. I was beginning to think every one was using michelins. All good stuff and food for thought. I suppose at my age I should have a reality check. Just keeping the bike upright is a challenge these days. Am I really likely to start thrashing around on the trx. Well I hope so. Clearly tyres have changed over the last 10 years and i expect any good sports touring tyre will suit. Certainly better than when I was a youngster charging around on my Norton Commando with its tt100s and disc brakes that refused to work in the wet.

will probably go for the michelin pilot road 3 or 4 but keep the recomendations coming and I'll let you know what I get.

Cheers for now. Mick

[Overlord Neil]

Late to the party as per bloody usual! My TRX came with a brand new (less than 500 miles) set of Pilot Road 4's, whilst I can't offer any opinion on longevity yet and my experience of feedback and poise etc is limited as my point of reference is a monster trailie-type with knobbilies what i can say about PR 4's is that they 'hum', Its not overly offence but it is noticeable. Because the little grooves run directly across the tyre there is no continuous band, ie there is a break in contact with the road. Its very slight and there's no noticeable vibration but it is there, having said that my TRX has straight thru Carbon Cans and I ride with ear plugs and Schuberth S2... so that hum might be a bit louder!

What was the outcome anyway, did you go for the PR4's? Whats your opinion on them?

[M.V.]

Oh, if you go PR4's make sure you keep the pressures on the high side, they'll last longer & work proper. I think 36/38 F & 42 R was the recommendation when I had them fitted.

Also, people go with the tyre manufacturers recommendations right? I mean the Yamaha specs would only apply if you were using the original spec Macadams right?

[Overlord Neil]

I can give a more accurate response on the PR4's, 6,000 miles later and they are shagged, which i guess is fair enough. I haven't been kind or considerate to them in any way and to be fair its only the center band that has squared off due to high motorway/dual carriageway use, if I had a twistier route they would have lasted a lot longer.

Summary: great tyres, they've never broken grip on me, despite my best efforts. I've managed to scrub away any chicken strips (just, maybe a couple of mil on the front to go) so they grip well enough. I've used them all year round, rain, snow, sun, you name it and I've never had to think about them, which can only be a good thing.

After lots of research I'm going to replace them with Pirelli Angel ST's, mainly from a cost point as they were cheap as chips <£120 for the pair, they were so cheap I actually bought a second rear. They supposedly wear very well, which is kind of my primary goal at the moment as I use my TRX for daily commuting.

Whilst I was at it I bought a second pair of wheels, mainly so I could change tyres with minimal time off the road, but it gives me the option of putting some sticky boots on for summer.

[SDN]

Best all round tyre I've used on the TRX is the PR4, closely followed by the Dunlop Q2's. Dunlop Q3's have replaced the Q2's, but much the same thing.

Obvioulsy the Q2's are a stickier sports tyre, but the PR4's have never lost traction on me & they last a lot longer!

Road Pilot IVs are really good just fitted a new set to my bike way better than the admittedly knackered Dunlop Sportsmarts I have just taken off